FEATURED GORILLA SAFARIS, WILDLIFE SAFARIS

Democratic Republic of the Congo is no longer considered as risky as it used to be but it remains a destination for only the most seasoned, hardcore African traveler. It is not a country for the casual “tourist”: the average backpacker, holidaymaker, and especially those seeking luxury safaris or organized cultural experiences. In the east, volcanic peaks rise thousands of meters above the surrounding rainforest, often shrouded in mist. Hikers can climb and spend the night on the rim above an active lava lake at Nyarigongo volcano (one of the four active volcano worldwide!). In the jungles nearby, a small number of tourists each day are permitted to trek families of gorillas. Along the mighty Congo River, a handful of travelers each year spend weeks floating hundreds of kilometers on barges loaded with cargo and Congolese.
Congo is one of the few African countries where the rare and endangered mountain gorillas can be tracked from. It is in the mists of the Virunga Volcanoes that the last remaining mountain gorillas face extinction. Virunga National Park is part of the 434 sq km that make up the the Virunga Gorilla Conservation Area that includes Uganda, Rwanda. Virunga National park in Democratic republic of Congo has five families of gorillas with three groups most tracked. These include Jomba: Kwitonda Group, Mapua Group, Bikenge – Rugendo Group, Bukima – Kabirizi Group, Munyaga Group, Humba Group.